Prior art has not been able to solve the ammonia loss related environmental challenges in manure and organic waste treatment by applying and combining the technical elements of the present invention. The ammonia loss from manure and organic waste is addressed and tried to be solved by applying various chemicals of acidic character. NOx containing gases generated by a plasma generator has been applied directly to the manure and or organic waste. The method is impractical and unable to control the chemistry in the manure and may introduce a NOx emission issue. If standard nitric acid or salts of nitrate is applied to the manure it is creating loss of nitrogen in the form of N2 and N2O. Odor has been treated with many standard odor suppressing agents. Ammonia emissions and effluents have been reduced through thermal stripping and subsequent absorption by means of a suitable mineral or organic acid. Applying airing and oxygen rich mineral acids like sulfuric and phosphoric acids has reduced the ammonia loss but not helped the nutrient balance nor helped the N2O emissions. Adding a mixture of nitric acid and nitrous acid to the manure is addressing the nutrient ratio and the nitrogen loss, but has been considered risky from a transport and handling point of view and is normally expensive.
SE 366730 is describing a method where nitric acid, nitrous acid, copper sulfate and other acidic components are used to reduce odor and ammonia losses from manure. The pH in the manure is controlled to be below 7. The safety and cost aspects are making the technique unattractive. Nitric Acid is both a strong acid and a component for explosives. Nitrous acid as a product is instable and component for explosives.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,995 is describing how NH3 from manure and organic waste can be absorbed in water with sulfuric acid, forming ammonium sulfate in a standard process based on known industrial techniques. The use of sulfuric acid is not addressing the nutrient balance and nitrate to nitrite ratio. The product is ammonium sulfate solution, which can be crystallized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,123 is describing an electric arc process for fixing nitrogen from air and absorbing it in water with the clear aim of producing Nitrate fertilizers in various forms. The technique is describing the reaction from NO gas oxygen and water to Nitrate, and the design is clearly aimed at producing a pure nitrate in solution and for nitrate fertilizers in small scale based on electricity.
US 2011/0044927 describes a process for odor reduction using metal acetates, nitrates or sulfates for reduction of H2S. The process is addressing the odor issue, but the applied nitrate is taken in as an unsafe and expensive chemical. The use of Nitrate alone will give loss of nitrogen as N2 and N2O. The N/P2O5 ratio is not focused.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,785,388 describes applying calcium cyanide for reducing odors and enhancing fertilizer value and practical handling. The method is not addressing nor solving the nutrient balance and nitrate to nitrite ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,344 describes treating waste off gasses with a peroxy acid in a chemical scrubber. The method is an end of pipe solution which is not addressing the main loss and nutrient balance issue.
DK200600530 describes a method using nitric acid and a plant extract to suppress ammonia and odor from pigsty waste water to reduce hazards. The method is focusing on the hazards and is not solving the nutrient balance and not addressing the nitrite to nitrate ratio. The method will give loss of nitrogen as N2 and N2O.
RU2004529 describes obtaining organomineral fertilizer as follows. Ammonia-containing farm waste is treated with nitrous gas obtained by fixing atmospheric N2 in a low temp. plasma and cooled to below 40 deg. This converts the ammoniacal nitrogen to non-volatile compounds. The method is blowing hot nitrous gas to remove ammonia which is volatile, followed by drying and sterilizing the product. The method is not focusing on the nutrient balance and will not be able to control the critical nitrite to nitrate ratio. The method will create a gaseous emission of NOx and Ammonia.
JP 2006247522 describes a process for incinerating elec. discharge plasma generated evenly and stably in the discharge chamber and waste gases (e.g. incinerator flue gases, malodorous gases in wastewater treatment facilities and municipal refuse treatment facilities, waste gases from chemical plants) are efficiently detoxicated and deodorized. The method is an arc incinerator for cracking smelly components, and is not addressing the nutrient balance or the nitrate to nitrite ratio.
WO 2009059615 A1 is describing a process where a part of the ammonia from organic material is stripped out and converted to nitric acid through a standard combustion and absorption process. The nitric acid produced from the ammonia is then used to react with the remaining ammonia, giving ammonium nitrate.
The remaining challenges can be summarized in the following points:                1) All organic materials contain chemically bound nitrogen. This nitrogen is in the form of ammonia typically from urea, uric acid and proteins. Organic waste is nutrients and energy on the way to be lost. The main way to recover the nutrients has been to recycle the organic waste and manure back to the fields as fertilizer. This practice has reduced the demand for phosphate fertilizer by 30-40% inside the EU over the last 20 years. However, the nitrogen is still being lost in the mineralization process. The loss is coming from the microbial activity releasing free ammonia, where 30% is lost to air and 10% is lost to water through leaching.         The loss reaction from urine starts with hydrolyzation of urea which is described in equation Ia, and the general mineralization of organic material results in ammonium carbonates, aqueous ammonia and carbonic acid which is lost as volatile ammonia and carbon dioxide as in equation Ib.        
                                                                        (                                  NH                  2                                )                            2                        ⁢            CO                    +                      3            ⁢                          H              2                        ⁢            O                          =                                                                              (                                      NH                    4                                    )                                2                            ⁢                              CO                3                                      +                                          H                2                            ⁢              O                                =                                                    NH                4                            ⁢                              HCO                3                                      +                                          NH                4                            ⁢              OH                                                  Ia                          =                                            2              ⁢                              NH                4                            ⁢              OH                        +                                          H                2                            ⁢                              CO                3                                              =                                    2              ⁢                                                NH                  3                                ⁡                                  (                  g                  )                                                      +                                          CO                2                            ⁡                              (                g                )                                      +                          2              ⁢                              H                2                            ⁢              O                                                  Ib                       The carbon dioxide is very volatile and is directly lost to the air, resulting in an increased pH to 9-10 and the subsequent loss of the volatile ammonia.        2) The N to P2O5 ratio in organic material is too low for a balanced fertilization. The content of nitrogen should typically be doubled in order to meet the nutrient demand of the majority of crops.        3) The ammonia emissions and N2O emissions from manure processing and storage and after field application is a main contribution to global warming. The ammonia emitted from agriculture is getting oxidized to nitrates which create acidic rain, nitrification, and eutrophication and finally de-nitrification. In all these biological processes formation of N2O takes place and the N2O formation has in certain biotopes' been estimated to 3-4% of the ammonia lost.        4) Odor from organic waste is originating mainly from the biological formation of H2S and others sulfur components. The lack of oxygen in organic waste and manure is giving the basis for H2S and organic sulfur components with strong odors.        5) The cost and safety aspect of making the right mixture of nitrate, nitrite in the right ratio and concentration has been considered unsafe and costly. The nitrite as a chemical is not commercially available as it is instable in higher concentrations and at higher ambient temperatures. Nitric acid is a strong acid and a component for explosives, making it expensive and risky to transport and store.        
The ammonia loss of 30-40% from the meat and dairy production must be compensated from industrially produced ammonia. The production and logistic cost of this ammonia is creating additional greenhouse gas emissions in the form of CO2 and N2O. The global industrial production of mineral fertilizer does actually correspond to the loss from all domesticated animal activity.
For every tonne of ammonia captured, the following GHG emission savings can be made:
1) Nitrification giving 0.35%-2% N2O1.33-7.5tonne CO2 eq2) De-nitrification giving 0.35%-2% N2O1.33-7.5tonne CO2 eq3) Production of new ammonia1.70tonne CO2 eq4) Production of nitric acid with 10 ppm N2O0.30tonne CO2 eqemission5) Road transport 200 km giving CO2 emissions3.00tonne CO2 eqTotal reduction in CO2 equivalents7.7-20tonne CO2 eq.
The present invention provides a solution to the above challenges.